This post contains the word “pillow” too many times

But I have to tell you that at some point on Monday I began to come down off of some sort of high I’d been on since Thursday afternoon and ended up almost comatose on my couch. I needed twenty-four hours to just spend with my people and decompress a little bit.

It was like I was just tired down to my bones. Like that kind of tired like little kids get when they just burst into tears for no reason. And so I stayed in my pajamas most of the day until I decided that maybe the reason I wasn’t sleeping had to do with my pillow.

Here’s the thing about me: I am a picky sleeper.

I need to have my pillows arranged just so. In a type of nest configuration. I have a body pillow on one side and a king size pillow with a standard size pillow on the other side. Which is really the same as a body pillow but makes me feel like less of a bed hog since I can say I don’t sleep with two body pillows, just a body pillow and a king size pillow with a standard size pillow and that’s not selfish at all.

Of course who am I worried about appearing selfish in front of? P? He’s the only one that knows my pillow situation and has to deal with it on a nightly basis.

But then I need a feather pillow to actually put my head on. And it can’t be too fluffy. It needs to be squishy. Truth be told, I don’t know that I’ve switched out my pillow in the fifteen and a half years P and I have been married.

I realize that Oprah says you should change out your pillow every six months or something but that’s easy for her to say because she’s a bajillionaire and can afford to buy multiple pillows stuffed with the essence of unicorn. Meanwhile, I have to wait for a 20% off coupon from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Anyway, as I tossed and turned on Sunday night, I decided my pillow was to blame. It’s lost all its integrity and shape, much like my rear end. I blame advancing age for both. And so, while it has served me well, it was time for a replacement.

(My pillow. Not my bottom. I would replace my bottom but I hear it’s a very painful procedure.)

(I’m sure staying up until 1:15 a.m. watching two hours of Downton Abbey had nothing to do with my insomnia. Especially not the way my heart raced when we found out Thomas knows about O’Brien and the bar of soap.)

So I drove up to Bed, Bath and Beyond looking like refried blech and perused the pillow section. I ended up buying a new standard size pillow and a new king size pillow.

(I have now turned what should have been a twenty word story into 465 words. I apologize.)

The point is I was super excited to go to bed on Monday night. Like thought about it all day kind of excited because I just knew I’d found the key to world peace and the federal deficit with the purchase of my new pillows. And so I crawled my weary self into bed at 8:30 p.m.

Then I tossed and turned and fluffed and re-fluffed my new pillow until, sadly, I had to face the fact that it is too fluffy for me. I could feel a neck cramp coming on.

And so on its very first night, it got demoted to new standard pillow on the side instead of CEO of standard pillows. Which still leaves me in need of a new pillow. I’ve been so tempted to try a My Pillow but haven’t been able to commit. I was also intrigued by the Snoogle but part of my nightly routine involves fluffing and re-fluffing and shifting all my pillows around and the Snoogle doesn’t really allow for that since it’s all-inclusive.

Clearly, I am in the midst of a serious first world dilemma.

However, I did get a little more sleep on Monday night because by going to bed at 8:30 I managed to quit tossing and turning and worrying and obsessing by 11:30. It is super fun to be me in case you’ve spent this whole post wondering how it feels.

Then yesterday I couldn’t deal with the pillow situation so I ran a bunch of other errands I’ve been putting off for the last week or so, including a much needed trip to the grocery store. And then I came home and showered because last night was my first book signing and I didn’t want to frighten small children or even large children.

I walked in Barnes and Noble and it was so bizarre to say, “Hi. Um. Hi. Um. Well, I’m the author? That’s here for the signing?” And then sweet mercy there was a podium and a microphone which I was not really expecting. Apparently I was expected to say something.

So I read half a chapter because that was all I could manage without passing out.

But it was seriously fun and I got to meet some really sweet people that have read the blog for years and it just felt like I was with friends and family. It helped that my Aunt Rita, Uncle Carl and cousin Brian were there too. And even P’s uncle and daughter showed up.

Most of all, I had Beth Moore to help me through.

I’ve got another signing this Saturday, February 16th at 1 p.m. at Books-A-Million at Katy Mills mall in Houston. Would love to see you if you’re looking for a way to kill a Saturday afternoon.

I keep saying this but you have just been so kind and supportive. Thanks for spreading the word about the book and I’d so appreciate it if you’d keep telling friends and neighbors and your mailman about it.

I’d also love any pillow recommendations if you enjoy a flat, shapeless pillow filled with feathers the way I do.

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Comments

It is probably hopeless to recommend a pillow, because who knows if your pillow pickiness is the same as mine (sounds like it is at the same level of intensity, anyway). But at least I know you could find this one, because it also came from Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon. It’s called Indulgence Side Sleeper by Isotonic, and I know that because it’s printed all the way around on the gusset, which is gray. White pillow, gray gusset. Love it. Great pillow.

I could sleep on a piece of plywood with a rock as my pillow so I have no useful personal advice. My husband is almost on your level of pickypillowneeder, but he can only have ONE pillow. He had a beloved that sadly met it’s untimely departure from our family in Monroe, LA on our cross country move. He insisted on getting a white “travel” pillowcase because I don’t know why and it got left behind along with all the other white pillows in the hampton inn. He claims it was the perfect blend of feather and fluff. He found a similar one at IKEA, but at least once a week wishes out loud that he still had his old faithful. So there you go. Ikea. You can stop while you are in houston and try them all out.

Wish I lived close enough to make it to a signing! Sending long distance book love from NJ!

Hi Melanie,
I was at your book signing tonight and it was wonderful!!! I have just read your book in one sitting and will hate myself in 5 hours when the alarm goes off:)
For those of you in the blog world,here’s what I learned about Melanie tonight:
She is so tiny and petite and has FAB hair ,regardless of the angst she claims to endure….she’s beautiful.
she is left handed and has lovely handwriting ( I’m I teacher…I know these things)
she has a Texas drawl like I have never heard before and did not expect to hear that come out of her mouth 😉
She seemed sincerely pleased and grateful to have us all there and thanked us all about a zillion times. Humblness personified…
Gulley was there!!! Yes, the REAL Gulley…woohoo!!!!!
M. is just like the girl in the blog…very down to earth, and seems to be very surprised with the success of her book and her new title of “author”
she never even corrected the PR lady who mispronounced caroline’s name and said caroLYN…pure graciousness
FLASH: She’s writing another book for 2014…yippppeeeee!!!!!!!
Her book is a joy…i did cry and then before I could get the kleenex, I was laughing….
Just thought I’d share a few things for those that won’t be able to meet her in person. We here in SA now have a new author treasure in Melanie.
PS: Loved the pics of your book making the rounds to the local hot spots …just like Flat Stanley
It was great to meet you tonight!!!
Barbara

You are speaking my language talking about your need for the perfect pillows. I too sleep in a pillow nest, and it drives my husband crazy. I may make him read this post tomorrow morning just to show him I’m not the only one. I have been having pillow issues lately too, and I’ve avoided getting a new one because I just know it isn’t going to be right. If you do get the My Pillow please let us know if it is worth it. I’m so glad your first book signing went well! I read your book over the weekend and it was wonderful!

I’ve also had pillow angst for years, when it is TIME to find the new “best pillow in the world”. While visiting my son a number of years ago there was a solid foam pillow on the bed and I discovered I LIKED it. Just a suggestion….came from B,B and B also.

I keep meaning to write a comment in regards to your book but then one of my kids usually requires something of me and I am in mid sentence of the comment and have to delete and start again. I have written 1/2, 2/3, 3/4th of this about a million times now:) Anyways, I am reading your book and I love it. I wanted to let you know specifically what a joy it is to read your book and your blog when I have had a particularly heavy day. I am in wrapping up my graduate program in social work. This year for my internship I am at a children’s trauma assessment center. Each week I spend Fridays with a child who has been horribly abused and is now in foster care. Sadly, many of these children are further subjected to additional abuse. It is heart wrenching work. I leave on so many days and just wonder what in the heck this world is coming to? Processing such work can be difficult at best. But then I come home to my wonderful husband and three little lovies and many times funny blog like yours and for a moment I can laugh and think about less heavy realities. It is such a blessing to me! Thank you!
Susan

Oh my word. I was reading the book last night, the part about Tillie and I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe! Love the book, it’s awesome! I will do a review on amazon when I finish it tonight or tomorrow. Unfortunately I have this little thing called work and school getting in the way of me spending the day reading your book. 🙂

Hope you solve the pillow dilemma. Afraid I can’t help. I have to sleep on a prescription cervical pillow due to neck issues.

I can’t wait to get your book, but because I foolishly didn’t preorder, and waited till release day, it’s not available till early March…and will be shipped then (I’m in Canada….clearly you have yourself some Canadian fans!) I wondered at the comment about Gulley being with you if she is being recognized more…….I bet she is going to become famous now! I picture her walking around with a big lizard thing on her shoulder like you posted the other day….still laughing when I think about that!

The pillows I have are pretty squishable….I insist upon that. Sadly, I can’t remember the EXACT brand, I got them at Home Sense, which is the Canadian equivalent to Home Goods…..but it has HOTEL in the brand name…..so possibly that will help? Of course I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels with crappy pillows….but these seem to be more what LUXURY hotels must be offering….cause they are gooooood!

You did fabulous at your book reading/signing last night. Honestly we who were there to meet you were a little intimidated by the podium set up…as though we were going to be tested or quizzed on something 🙂 Such fun to meet you!

Try Target for the pillow. They have a feather pillow in the $50 range(my crazy mind says $52.99) that I love. It’s really squishy and soft. I don’t know what it says about me that I totally understand your pillow thing but I’m willing to pay for a pillow that makes me happy!

I’m really glad that you had a day of rest. Now if you could please get to work on your next book, we’d all greatly appreciate it! And if I lived anywhere near Texas I would totally come to your book signing! 🙂

Oh, I hope your sleep situation gets sorted out! I am also a high maintenance sleeper, caused by the fact that I married a man who works in the bedding industry. We probably have a nicer mattress than Queen Elizabeth. It makes it impossible to get a good night’s sleep anywhere but my bed. Or maybe our leather couch, but that’s kind of roughing it.

On another note, Katy Mills! I love me some Katy Mills. My aunt lives in Katy about 5 minutes way from the mall. I wish I could work out a visit so I could get my book signed and also do some shopping. I guess I’ll have to settle for Katy Mills’ cousin, Potomac Mills, which is just north of me. Maybe you’ll get to do a book tour and come to Virginia!

One: I now want a Snoogle….
Two: I read your book in the first 24 hours in was in my hot little hands. I laughed, cried, and laughed some more. I am making a list of people to buy it for! LOVED LOVED LOVED IT! 🙂 Can’t wait for book #2 😉

ok, i made it a goal this year to watch less TV and read more books, so I have basically been buying up any and all books i can find that seem remotely decent and readable. i just recently jumped on the “Big Mama” blog bandwagon (say that 5 times fast) due to a tip from Kelly over at Kelly’s Korner blog. loved your blog, so i ordered your book. not only is it remotely decent and readable, it is HILARIOUS!! i mean, i laugh out loud every time i pick it up and read a few pages. last night i made it through about 6 chapters in one sitting, and laughed my head off. i will definitely be recommending this book to friends and family, and i am sure i will read it again and again! 🙂 thanks for sharing your heart and for doing it in a way that makes me laugh!!
p.s. hate to break it to you, but any pillow you get isn’t going to be perfect until you break it in a little. you can just call me “the princess and the pea” because i am the pickiest sleeper ever, and as much as i love getting new pillows when my old ones are worn out, i hate it at the same time because it means not great sleep until i can break it in.

Oh girl, I need a pillow too. Gotta watch these comments for suggestions.

Was at B&N in Franklin, TN last night and there was just ONE COPY of your book left. I already have mine (almost done–and lovin’ it!), so I took it upon myself to rearrange the shelf just a bit so yours was sitting flat and had more prominence!

Congrat’s on your first book signing. Would so loved to have been there. “Thomas knows about O’Brien and the bar of soap” Please explain. What did it mean? Does everyone but me knows what that means? O’Brian was all in a panic when Lady Grantham was in the midst of the flu crisis and wanted to confess something or other but I never heard what the heck it was all about. Pillows….so vexing. I had to give up REAL feather and down after years of good no kink in the neck headache free sleep from allergies. My mom used to wash her down pillows then dry in the blazing sun, fluff and smack the heck out of them. CVS has the My Pillow but I can’t commit to the price tag either. Ross is more like it.

first season of Downton: O’Brien thinks Cora is going to replace her, so she places a bar of soap next to the tub and Cora slips on it and then has the miscarriage. O’Brien later feels very guilty about it and she confesses this to Thomas.

I too suffer from perfect pillow neediness as well. Until a year ago I could only use a down pillow that could mold under my neck. Then I took a leap and got a memory foam (a high quality one, not the $5 version) and it has made a huge difference I love it. I thought it would bother my neck but it doesn’t!

I got a memory foam and was concerned about my neck, too, but I love it. When I go somewhere else, I have to double up the pillows or else I just toss and turn. Guess I’m going to have to start taking my pillow with me!

Oh Melanie – I’ve just gotten a new pillow because of painful neck/shoulder/arm issues that I finally figured out was because of my pillow. It was from Target and it was old. I am now the proud owner of a Temperapedic pillow and will no longer be going to the chiropractor (at least this month). The sad news is that I had the Temperapedic pillow in my closet which the salesman “gave us” (yeah right) when we bought the wonderful awesome best mattress ever from him. It’s HEAVY but your head just sinks into it and wahlah – I have no more neck/shoulder/arm pain.

Sorry to go on and on, but I’ve been in pillow mode the past few weeks. 🙂

So wish I lived close enough to get my book signed. 🙂 I need to get copies for my two daughters-in-law. They are great mommies and this Gran Jan is so thankful.

PS: Seeing the picture of Beth’s “So Long Insecurity,” reminded me that I went to her book signing for that awesome book when she came to the ATL. I surprised her and it was SO MUCH FUN. Hawk was working security for her and I was allowed behind the “barracade.” I was such the V.I.P. And loved every minute of it. I sure love her and you too. And Sophie. And lots of other people too. Have I told you about my grandchildren? 🙂

Hi Melanie! A few years ago we were mattress shopping, in a mattress store if you can imagine….anyway, we were testing out a mattress and the salesman said to try it with a pillow. He proceeded to hand us two pillows that I can only equate to bricks. I was all “oh, no, I only sleep with feather pillows, that will never work…”. AND THEN I put my head on it! HEAVEN! We ended up getting a mattress somewhere else, but the pillow? I sleep on it every night and it comes everywhere with me! It is the Natura LUCIOUS pillow. I found it just now on Amazon!

made ours out of foam pieces. Used a pillowcase and put as much foam as we like, each of ours is different, then double sewed the whole thing. Wash and fluff like a dream. take them in really weird pillowcases so we won’t forget them everywhere we spend the night.

OMGosh! Maybe that’s my problem. I finally got some sleep last night after none whatsoever, Saturday, Sunday and Monday!! I’ve got to go pillow shopping. Thank goodness for Beth Moore! May need to revisit that book also. Have a happy book signing! How exciting?

I was at the signing last night and it was wondrful! I had never met you but felt instantly at ease. I read part of the book last night and con”t wait to read more tonight. I regret not having the courage to speak to Gulley though.
Thank -you for sharing your gift with us.

I need to try a feather pillow!! I have neck issues every morning. Was using a Memory Foam pillow for awhile, but recently gave it up. Plus, feather pillows remind me of my childhood 🙂 Cindy #19 has a good idea, about removing some feathers and sewing back up.

So excited about your book. I hinted that I want one for my bday and told my son he should be able to find it at Sam’s 😉

I am very sorry to hear your head pillow gave out. Now I’m scared that mine is going to die too as it is also very old. I have to have this pillow to sleep and as my husband and I travel mostly on a motorcycle, this pillow doesn’t leave much room for anything else. So what I do now is mail the dirty laundry home and wear the new tee shirts we buy at the places we visit. No extra jeans, just have to use the washing machine at the motels while we’re in the pool. Pretty pathetic but as you can see, you’re not the only one with pillow issues.

Between laughing at your pillow situation and knowing my own “bed is a nest” situation…I got a bunch of funny looks at work. Lol…..Frankly when a pillow dies it’s almost like losing a family member – I am in denial right now that my latest pillows have died but I’m getting to the point where I’m getting headaches in the morning when I wake so I will have to make the trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond myself….good luck on your pillow quest. Would love to go to the signing but alas I’m not in TX.

I have a thing with my pillow…so I was so happy to read that someone else shares “that thing with their pillow” besides me! I have a feather pillow and my grandmother gave it to me when I was a small child (old enough to be in a big bed)…it’s basically nothing now and I have to have an extra pillow to place under it to sleep because if I didn’t I would have permanent neck damage but I can’t sleep without it..I have tried..I even (to my husband’s chagrin) take it on vacations with us….just lay it flat in my suitcase and it comes along! It has been many places with me over the years and has spent many hours with my head laying on it…..and I have sewed it and mended it when it gets holes so the feathers won’t come out….but I just can’t seem to make myself get rid of it. Yes I probably need pillow counseling but it’s my favorite pillow! My family plays games and hides it from me, which are not funny! But anyway…sorry I am of no help in the pillow department but I feel your pain man! :0)

Just love, love, love your blog!!!!! Check out the pillows at Brookstone. I actually found mine at marshalls for $24.99… it says it’s a side sleeper but I sleep all ways on it! One side is feathers and flip side is memory foam….I keep mine on feather side….it’s perfection!
!! Good luck!

It is good to know I am not the only pillow picky woman. I finally broke down and bought the My Pillow. I LOVE it!! I still have my nest of body pillow and assorted small pillows around me too (my poor husband!).

I am so glad to hear that I’m not the only one with a pillow ritual. I also have a flat feather pillow for my primary head pillow. My neck begins to crack and pop like the 4th of July if I have too much “stuff” under my head! No body pillows because I have a big warm, squishy hubby that I like to snuggle up against until I get warm ..then I push away as fast as I can! Sorry, TMI

I admit, I haven’t purchased your book yet, (just because I’m so backed up on my reading)but will you be doing a book signing anytime soon in Wichita Falls or Longview, TX? My daughter lives in Wichita Falls and I live in Longview.

I get the cheapest one at Walmart so it squishes faster. But I also have a bean bag pillow that conforms to my head. At first I thought it might surround my face and suffocate me, but that didn’t happen!! The only downside is I don’t think I can wash it… 🙁
Congrats again on your book!!

I can’t believable that a pillow has finally compelled me to leave my first comment! But seriously, the Gosa Pjine from Ikea. I think mine is the stomach sleeper. It comes in stomach, back, and side. It is amazing and cheap. Like $14.

I started reading your blog through Ann Voscamp’s blog…I’m single, and not a mama, but I just need those laughs in my in-box! I too lost sleep over Downton Abbey this week…I think it gets the adrenalin going too much to be restful. They need to air it earlier in the evening so we can do all our mental calisthenics before bedtime! And the pillow thing – to borrow from a cheesy old country song – I sleep single in a double bed. What that means is I get to use two pillows. Technically, they are the same…brand, size, style (cheap, Cannon from Kmart). They are so not the same. I sleep on one soundly for hours, wake up and it’s no longer comfie…so I roll over and cozy up to the cool, crisp and slightly fatter one…and if that doesn’t work, I can go back…How DO people sleep all night with just one pillow?! Congratulations on your new book! You remind me of Patsy Clairmont telling the story years ago about her first book – and how she wanted to tell her seat mate on the airplane … “I’m an AUTHOR!” It is exciting!

The only thing worse than pillow shopping is mattress shopping! However, I do find that I need to buy a pillow that is fluffier than I need because it will deflate really fast. So I alternate using my new pillow with my old one for a few days until I get used to it and it starts to flatten.

Congratulations on your first book signing! Wish I could have been there.

I too have a LOVE or HATE relationship with my pillow. At the present time I am “in-love” with my current pillow. I am not sure if you have a “Stein Mart” near you, but they carry “Tommy Bahama” Brand pillows and they are divine!!! They are priced under $15.00 for the King size. The 1st week you will think it is too fluffy but after you wash it or sleep on it for a week or so, you will be “in-love” with this pillow. There are very few products I recommend but this pillow is dreamy!!

I’m looking forward to reading your book (I put it in my husband’s Amazon cart and am hoping for the best). Also, don’t get the Snoogle. I used in for my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pregnancies and finally threw it away. It just wasn’t well-made. You will not like it.

What you need is a shredded latex pillow. it’s just a little bit softer and gentler than feathers, which I think get too hard once they settle in. Plus, even though this particular pillow is pretty thick, I just ripped open the side, pulled out some of the excess latex, and then stitched it back up. And I don’t really “stitch” very often, so it was actually duct taped together by my husband for a year and a half until I got around to digging out a needle and thread.

1. Your book was in my mailbox yesterday evening and I think God himself delivered it after the long day I had! It was such a blessing to finally put two cranky kids to bed and sit down with a cup of tea and the first few chapters of the book. I love it. And it was so good, it even made me feel warm and squishy about my babies again.

2. Don’t get the Snoogle. I am also a pillow fluffer and while I love a good pillow nest, I felt it was too confining. Plus the pillow cases for that thing are way to scratchy.

I am also a pillow nut! I can’t sleep without a cold, flat, feather pillow. Oprah would burn all of my pillows! I have some that are, gasp, at least 10 years old! They are my favorites. I actually wash them, just like my down comforters. The newest ones I have are from Marshall’s or TJ’s. They usually have a great selection of them!

I agree with the Snoogl. I used it for about a year. Two complaints. It is just not firm enough. I got hooked on sleeping on my right side. My chiropractor loved that. Need to alternate sides. My neck pain finally made me change to a firmer pillow.
I also agree with Rebecca. Come to Beaumont. May I suggest this Sunday. As you know B&N is just down the street from BB&B. You could visit with friends, family and Casa Ole’.
Oh, and you could visit my church.

I’m a pillow snob too. All my rejects go to my kids-I figure they can sleep on anything! No recommendation for a pillow though because mine is O-L-D!! May need to try a few that have been recommended though. And I do wash my pillows too…but probably not as often as I should…
I know I already said so on Facebook, but I truly enjoyed getting to meet you. Lived up to my expectation and then some. Of course I have to give a BIG-O shout out to my new BFF Stacy (are you here Stacy??) who GAVE me one of her copies of your book because you SOLD OUT!!! I’m so proud of you…in the least weird way that I can be so proud of someone that I just met in person but feel like I’ve known for a long time…
YOU ROCK MEL!!

I was just sitting here reading all the wonderful comments about your book and wondering WHEN IN THE ACTUAL HECK is my copy going to get here already??? Well guess what was waiting for me in my mailbox!? Yes, my copy of “Sparkly Green Earrings”!! I’m so excited!
I also am a Picky Pillow Person…I get a new pillow every few months, when the current one starts hurting my ears. Nothing is worse than waking up with sore ears! I’m glad there are others out there that have pillow issues.
Congrats, Melanie, on your much deserved success! I’m going to get started on SGE now!

I am currently reading your book, almost done. It is so wonderful and I can totally relate! Laughing out loud and crying what a wonderful combination! God Bless you and I am looking forward to your next book!

My husband and I both need new pillows, but we have different pillow requirements.

I really wouldn’t consider myself high maintenance at all, but I have very specific pillow needs. And it’s just about impossible to tell in a store whether or not a pillow is going to be a good match for me. I’m not proud to admit this, but I usually clear off a shelf just a little lower than head height and put my head on the pillow I’m test driving to see how it will fit. I’m pretty sure that’s why my husband doesn’t like to shop for pillows with me. Or my kids. It’s just that it’s so disappointing to get home the pillow that you’re sure is going to be the one, only to find out that it’s nothing but a great too fat or too soft or too lumpy disappointment.

Oh, thank God! I am not a freak after all. I have horrible problems finding a proper pillow. I want a FLAT one, preferably foam. I hate to lay my head on a pillow and have it poof up all around me. Nor do I want one that’s so thick that my head almost reaches my shoulder when I lay on my side. I don’t even know how many pillows I’ve purchased that I thought would be good, but I end up giving them away or putting them in the closet. Doesn’t anyone make a thin, flat pillow? I don’t even know how old the one I’m using is. My mother gave it to me years ago (used) after she got new pillows, and she’s been gone six years.

I had a perfect pillow when I was first married. An angel of an aunt (she was the most loving, caring, person I’ve ever known) made me a set of pillows as a wedding present. She had an old feather bed and she used it to make two perfect pillows. PERFECT. Then, horror of horrors, I developed an allergy to feather pillows. Grrrrr. I now sleep with four pillows. All foam. I replace one or two of them every few months. The fluffy-ness is gone in a few weeks. I have to sleep sitting up. (It’s a long sad story involving vertigo.) So I need to adjust them JUST SO. I feel your pain. *Sigh.* Yeah, I tell myself it’s a first world issue. I never have trouble falling asleep. But I wake up at 2:00 am every morning! Why???? OK. I do go to the bathroom and then stare at the ceiling or watch infomercials until I fall back to sleep — remote control in my hand, volume on high, glasses on my face until 5:00 am. I hate people don’t have sleeping problems. What are your secrets?

I’ve read every single one of the replies because I too am looking for the perfect pillow. I now know the answer is there is no one perfect pillow. We all have different needs. What works for me is a new pillow every few months. Of course I wait until they’re on sale and pay half price, pul-ease! Good luck to all!

I’m with you on the soft squishy pillow, I must have one! I worked in the bedding department of The Great Indoors and tried so many. Forget any suggestions of foam or temperapedic types, they just aren’t for those of us who need soft and flat. Your best bet is to keep looking for an all down or 50%feather/50%down pillow, or sometimes organic down. Unfortunately you usually need to pay $50 to $100 for one that will fit the requirements, but it will last a long time and you really need a good nights sleep. Good luck on your quest!

I could totally relate to this post. I will confess I sleep with 2 body pillows. My poor husband has finally gotten used to this and my friends make fun of me all the time for my quirky sleeping habits. As for a pillow, I use a water pillow. I bought it years ago from my chiropractor. You fill it with water, it takes a few tries to figure out the right amount of water for you. However once you do, it’s great. Supports my neck but without giving me a stiff neck. Good luck!

So I also enjoy a good, flat, lifeless feather pillow and have been in the exact same predicament for awhile now!! I borrowed my mom’s My Pillow to give it a try and i have to say that while I almost liked it, it was still too fluffy. So I have been considering buying the kids’ version of it, because I hear it’s less fluffy. But like you, I’m afraid to commit! Why must it be so hard?!!!

Target. The most expensive one there. (like $50 maybe) it seems a little too fluffy for awhile, then it settles down in aweek or so and is perfect! Have P use it for that fluffy time period, that’s what I always did, then I stole it back once it was the right consistency!

I laughed and laughed as I read your blog!!!! You see, I understand completely. I have a pillow obsession, too. The wrong pillow means I don’t sleep at all. I am the one who takes clothes out of her luggage so she can save space for her pillow. And I loved Green Sparkly Earrings!
Dr.C

I have lived a life of pillow problems LOL! (Oh the “first world” problems we face…) The solution came in the “Coconut Bliss Pillow” from Mattress Firm. I bought them for everyone in my family. Best. Pillow.Ever!

I found the perfect pillows (for us, anyway) last year at Ikea. They are fat, fluffy, and feathery and I love them. The ones on my bed are the perfect combination of softness and give when you lay on them and they also fluff right up when I make up the bed. I bought a 2nd set for my son’s bed and some how ended up with ones that are a little firmer but still nice. At $50 per pillow they were a bit of an investment but I figured it was better than buying a 2 for $20 pack every 8 months. We’ve had these a yr and they are still in great shape. They are Ikea Gosa Raps. Good luck on your pillow hunt.

I just want to see that I have been reading your blog for about 2 years and have never posted before. I suppose that makes me one of those lurkers. Needless to say I look forward to reading your blog because you are so witty and you make me laugh every time. Anyway, I found out that you were having your first book signing and vented to my boyfriend that I was sad that I couldn’t go meet you and to get the book because I had Rodeo tickets to see Casting Crowns.. Well anyway (get to the point)… He surprised me last night with a signed copy of the book for me! He was that guy who went there, bought the book, and got you to sign it so that I can finally read a book other than the Nursing books I have been studying for the past 2 years (I graduate next week). Needless to say. BEST VALENTINES GIFT EVER! Then today he texted me a pic of you signing my book and I just about died because I was so estatic and felt that I actually knew you or something and couldn’t believe it! The pic was an added bonus! Anyway, Congrats on your book and I am going to start reading it tonight and then will put in a review. Super Stoked!
Kimberly

I have a water pillow from the chiropractor and LOVE it!!! You can add as much or little water as you like to get the perfect ‘fit’. Worth every dollar and I don’t notice any sloshing sounds from the water.

I started sleeping in a pillow nest (my husband calls is my pillow coffin) when I was pregnant 6 years ago and found the need for not only a pillow between my knees and to hug but also against my back for support. Although my hubs fights me every night about those pillows I can’t sleep any other way now. You are not alone.

As for my head pillow, it’s a contour pillow I bought at Costco some (ahem) 10 years ago. I can’t part with it even though I know the Oprah get-a-new-pillow-every-two-years dilemma. I feel ya, sista. I feel ya.

I just found your blog today after reading your thoughts on last night’s Downton Abbey. You summed it all up just beautifully. Just ordered your book and can’t wait to read it!!!
My daughter & I have temperpedic pillows from Bed Bath & Beyond….I don’t know how I lived without it all these years!

I started using pregnancy pillow when I was expecting our first child. And I have been using it ever since. It is big and bulky but oh so comfy. My husband hates it, but it allows me to sleep better so I won’t give it up.

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Who is Melanie?

My name is Melanie and, in some strange twist of fate, I’m also known as Big Mama because I started this blog in July of 2006 when my daughter, Caroline, was not quite three years old and I was in the process of convincing her that BIG girls use the potty and BIG girls don’t have pacifiers, thus she thought BIG was the highest compliment in the land and began referring to me as BIG MAMA.